Advantage is selling a visor cam. Their demo video in an FV at the runoffs a couple of years ago looks great. Has anyone tried it and do you have any feedback to share?
http://advantagemotorsports.com/visorcam.html
Thanks,
Rich
Anyone try this visor cam?
Advantage is selling a visor cam. Their demo video in an FV at the runoffs a couple of years ago looks great. Has anyone tried it and do you have any feedback to share?
http://advantagemotorsports.com/visorcam.html
Thanks,
Rich
That's neat. And price isn't bad heck a go pro is more.
I made my own for $20.
This was the result. Not bad, but head bobbing makes it a little annoying. Sound is bad, I was thinking of taking sound from another location to fix that.
https://youtu.be/WU52WbuSfwM
Sent from my SM-G955W using Tapatalk
That looks like the cambox mkv3 camera. If you do a goggle search, you'll find it direct.
I used one all last season and i was happy with it. A few complaints:
1) camera pivots to adjust angle, but doesn't lock. After a few sessions that i ended up with the wrong view, i now every session move it all the way to one direction then count the clicks back.
2) indicator lights are VERY tiny. Hard to tell what the status is. Although it has a nifty vibrate feature for turning it on after your helmet is on. When you feel it vibrate, it's on. Unless you hold the button too long, then it shuts off as i found out the hard way.
3) if you have a visor strip across the top of your shield, you may have to cut a notch for the camera to look through.
4) the more tearoffs you have on, the cloudier the image.
I would, however, definitely buy it again. I bought it direct and recieved it quickly. The image is great when the angle is set right, and there is nothing sticking out in the air. Plus wind noise is minimal, and engine noise comes through at a decent level.
Helmet cams make me ill...
Am I the only one that hates watching helmet cams because of the movement!? I find it awful to try to follow. Cameras on wings, side of roll hoop, etc. are soo much better to me...
Agreed. I find the head movement distracting when trying to watch or analyze a video.Originally Posted by EricP
Since Eric opened the door, I will chime in with my custom order for what I think is the most pleasant to watch while providing data I am looking for. I am going to put a link below of Jay Messenger running at COTA. I think his camera system is just about 'spot on' . I like that I can see what his right hand is doing. The left should pretty much stay planted on the wheel. But, being able to see the right hand lets you see gear selection and allows the driver to critique their efficiency in use of right hand. Also, it is easy for viewer to tell what gear he is moving to. You can see shift lights, so, being able to read the tach isn't so important (though his is conveniently posted at bottom of screen) . He also has great view ahead of the car so seeing what traffic is doing, and looking ahead to corner is very capable. His mount is also doing very well at reducing or eliminating vibration from the car.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zq0rq1abWKA
I agree. That looks great.
Years ago in a tin top I had a camera near eye level and you could see cars behind in the Wink mirror (remember those?). It helped show when you were battling with a car behind. I've tried to do that in later cars but it's a challenge.
Racer Russ
Palm Coast, FL
Agreed. I think it's neat as an occasional view (like during a race broadcast) but I would never want to watch an entire race from that angle.
Ditto, I don't feel I can learn a thing from watching (if it were my own) and it makes watching a race painful!
Garey Guzman
FF #4 (Former Cal Club member, current Atlanta Region member)
https://redroadracing.com/ (includes Zink and Citation Registry)
https://www.thekentlives.com/ (includes information on the FF Kent engine, chassis and history)
agreed, i immediate do not watch any helmet cam footage, its the worst, i "don't get it".
but thats thread hijack... cameras are becoming commodities since cell phone have miniaturized high quality to very low costs. lots of benefits to us racers with all that. pinch and zoom 360deg cameras are really neat though!
BT29-24 Swift DB1 Matra M530
Hijacked! :-)
Hey,
No worries on hijacking this thread, I didn't really explain what I'm really looking for so I'm happy to meander. I just saw the helmet cam and thought it looked cool so I wanted to see what the community thought.
What I'm really after is an affordable camera for a low-budget new driver to help improve my driving. I just passed driver's school in my FV. I'd like to use video to accelerate learning. I have an AIM Solo2 for data and I can match the data up to video using Trackattack software. The AIM smartycam looks nice but it's expensive (to me anyway), I don't need another data logger and my Solo2 won't integrate directly with it so a less expensive standalone camera should work.
I like how the helmet cam gives a more "realistic" view to what the driver sees but I can see the points above that it may not be the best tool for analysis. Given this additional context...any recommendations?
Thanks,
Rich
I like the fact that this camera is inside the helmet. I am opposed to anything that is attached to the outside of a helmet except the visor and HANS posts. External appendages create a lever arm that can violently rotate the helmet and your head in a crash. They can also get punched through the shell in an impact, with obvious negative consequences.
Rich,
a friend slapped his small square GoPro (hero?, not the bigger rectangle) on my back wing. Turned out pretty good for seeing things. Was super easy: https://vimeo.com/343971389
Visor cam
For cars I am not a big fan of adding additional mass to a helmet - given spending so much to get as light a helmet as possible.
I see advantages of this for karts where it is very difficult to get a vibration free mounting point.
Mark Silverberg - SE Michigan
Lynx B FV & Royale RP3 FF
240Z Vintage Production Car
PCR, Kosmic CRG & Birel karts
I have one and I really love it. The lights are small, but it vibrates to indicate recording/off. Quality is good, you can easily see the dash, hand positions, etcetera. I’ve found it extremely helpful as a tool now that you can see everything as when you were in the car. Battery lasts for a full day and charges quickly.
I don’t think I’d ever go back to a GoPro.
I have found that the steady, body-mounted camera helps learning better, at least for me. The consistent view allows me to see which time I did a particular turn best, then allows me to pick up additional references. In this video, I used 2 cameras but only because this was the big 50th FF Anniversary event and I wanted to see everything! I really only need the forward one. In this video, the one facing back is the more modern and expensive Hero 7 Black while the front one is a Replay, which I'm not sure is still in business. In the March videos on my channel, the Hero is facing forward (Hero 5 at MidOhio, Hero 7 at Road America)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3mFnYKnKr0
That's a Hero 5 Session, which they don't make anymore. I bought a refurbished one and it was great for 3 events and has now died.
Garey Guzman
FF #4 (Former Cal Club member, current Atlanta Region member)
https://redroadracing.com/ (includes Zink and Citation Registry)
https://www.thekentlives.com/ (includes information on the FF Kent engine, chassis and history)
I haven’t tried it yet but I fully intend to buy one soon. I think it is a great way to show the actual perspective of the track from eye level. It is amazing how much more blind a corner can look from driver perspective level versus top of the roll hoop. I will also have other cameras on the car so I can study things from different angles but the other great thing about visor cam is it is the best way to share the experience with someone who wants to watch a video later. It’s the only video that seems to best communicate to an audience what it is really like to drive formula cars.
Replay is definitely out of business. RageCam still sells new/reconditioned units, and I've picked up some good deals on eBay, because it's still the best format out there.
Though the 360 fisheyes are interesting to consider...
Caldwell D9B - Sold
Crossle' 30/32/45 Mongrel - Sold
RF94 Monoshock - here goes nothin'
http://www.360fly.com/360fly-4k.html
stay away from the 360Fly camera. The product works great! but for what ever reason, the company choose not to distribute new updates to their IOS and Mac software. So now... How awesome is this? you can buy the camera but can't use their software to produce videos. Furthermore, if the software is already installed, you are ok to go, but you get these annoying warnings about not being able to take advantage of the brand new video card in my brand new Mac to render true 4k video...
F@#$%#@% awesome.. (yes I am a satisfied customer, no not really)
After several other brands, I have had great luck with this one .. relatively inexpensive and quite solid and easy to use. I mounted mine on the roll bar front brace in the perfect position to catch a half decent view of what's going on behind me in the right hand mirror and a 'snatch of glimpse from the left side camera. It also has the added benefit of being able to WIPE the lens of the camera while I'm driving .. tho' I don' recommend that ... unless you really want to SEE what's happening at the end of the race. For reasons that are not exactly clear to me, cameras mounted at the top of the roll bar seem to retain a clear view much longer than those mounted on the side - so I just try to remember to wipe my lens whenever my shield needs it.
https://www.amazon.com/Drift-Ghost-Action-Camera-Built/dp/B07DGFYXTY
The rotational angle is also adjustable and the lens is replaceable. It comes with a remote 'record/stop recording' button, but I can't bring myself to TRUST that it's going to start when I want it to since I can't see the top of the camera with the RECORDING indicator. I can also see my right hand shifting and pick up some of the shift lights from the dash.
This is a vid from last year at Summit Point. Jump to about 6:20 to see the 'lens wipe action'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGeKkSB2plg&t=152s
The audio is also from the INTERNAL mic in the camera - no external wires to the unit. Runs for something around 3 hours on a full charge (internal - non swapable - so have to charge it every 3 sessions or so or risk running out of batt during the race). This one has survived several 'incidents' including hitting the concrete wall at about 70+ MPH without damage. It comes with a couple of different mounting options, but unfortunately the bar clamp I use seems to no longer be available, but could be fabbed easily enough. This is from my old car so you can't see the left side mirror - my 'new' one has a slightly different mounting position to catch the left side mirror too.. though it's a pretty small view.
YMMV, of course.
PS.. I also cannot tolerate watching vids from helmet mounted cameras. Head moves around too much - and too much side to side as the driver checks mirrors and such. Makes me want to puke and gives me a headache for HOURS.
The Ghost-x is a bit smaller than the previous HD170 camera but it seems to be the only picture I have of the mounting position. My Ghost-x is in almost the exact same location beside my helmet as seen here .
http://www.wedgeracing.com/2018/Roebling55thFV80.jpg
OH ... it also offers both 1080 and 720 resolution. 1080 is nice, but takes up a TON of space and really doesn't improve the picture noticeably .. so I use it in 720 instead (as is the vid above).
Steve
Steve, FV80
Racing since '73 - FV since '77
?
Hey Steve,
Video looked great until like 22:48 when it wigged out. Do you know what happened - was the camera damaged?
Looks like a nice economical package if it holds up. Does it have a smartphone app to help with aiming the camera and download videos?
Thanks,
Rich
Yeah.. I forgot about that happening. I have NO IDEA what happened or why. It was sprinkling a bit of rain, but I've used it in more serious rain without any issues. That's the only time it has happened in .. maybe 50 0r 60 videos. I took the memory card out and installed another, but have no real indication that it was related to the card. I even contacted the company and sent them a link to the video, but they could offer no reason either. Maybe it WAS some sort of issue with the card. I decided that, if it never happened again I wouldn't worry about it .. and it hasn't <knock on wood>.
Nope .. no smartphone app and no wifi. I almost always use the camera itself as the 'device' - i.e. I plug it directly into a usb port on my laptop and just watch the vids (and it's charging during that time)..and then delete the vids I don't want to save. I use a 16 GB card and at 720, it will last a complete Majors weekend and still have room left over. When I get home, I transfer the vid files to an external HD that I reserve just for Racing and delete the data from the card after I've verified that the HD files are good. I should mention here, that by default the camera breaks the vid into multiple files of about 2.5 to 3 GBytes. I think there is a setting that tells it to save everything in a single file, but the risk of having something happen and losing the whole thing is .. well,,, not zero. So, I have decided to leave it this way. I use RaceRender and it takes only a couple of minutes to 'staple' the vids together and unless I'm specifically watching for it, I never notice the transition from one file to the next. It also has the option of external audio input. I even bought the external mic - used it for a few vids and then FORGOT to connect it one time and realized that the internal mic was ALMOST as good as the external... after adding a bit of racer's tape to cover the mic, that killed 95% of the wind noise and the audio was every bit as good as the external mic.
Aiming the camera is a bit of a task, but I just put it in record for a couple of minutes and walk all around, look into the mirror(s) and then go and see what I have on my laptop. Sometimes I have to modify things a bit after watching on track vid, but it only needs to be done if the camera or mirrors are moved, so I pay close attention to those issues and DON'T move anything that doesn't have to be moved. Occasionally one of the mirrors gets bumped out of position, but I know from the driver's seat what it should look like and have been able to put them back where they need to be. From my driver's perspective .. it IS a bit of a compromise from what I might consider the IDEAL driver view in the mirrors, but I'm able to deal with it by repositioning the mirrors and seating position from 'ideal' to 'almost ideal' to get what *I* want in the mirrors and the video. IMHO having the mirror view as a part of the video adds A TON to the video itself - without having to have other cameras in play .. which would add to the complexity a LOT.
As said.. YMMV, but I've been VERY satisfied with it .. especially for the price.
Steve
Steve, FV80
Racing since '73 - FV since '77
That looks great, Steven. Very nice to see racing action in the mirrors.
It's a shame the remote button doesn't have a recording light. I had that years back (I forget what kind of camera) and it was great to start the camera from within the car and see that recording started.
Racer Russ
Palm Coast, FL
Yes, Russ. The feedback would be nice, but that would require TWO WAY communication between the button and the camera, which is a great deal more complicated to achieve at a low dollar level. Hmmm... maybe I can figure out a way to move the light that's on the camera to a location that I can SEE .. or maybe mount a tiny mirror somewhere that could reflect it back to me .. I'll give that some more thought :-). OR .. maybe I could just TRY IT a few times and SEE if it really works... Pretty sure I've never even TRIED this one. Hey .. it's worth a shot.... but in the long term, in order to ENSURE that the camera is in record, I have LINDA .. who actually pushes the button and OBSERVES the record light coming on .. well... MOST of the time, anyway. It's easy enough to TRIM the extra minutes (some times a LOT OF MINUTES) off the beginning of the video.
Steve
Steve, FV80
Racing since '73 - FV since '77
I agree. It's nice to have a Linda. Everyone should. :-)
Racer Russ
Palm Coast, FL
I agree.. Thankfully, I DO!
sd
Steve, FV80
Racing since '73 - FV since '77
The visor cam I recommend
visorcamusa.com has them a stock. Some great video examples on their website.
Hey Steve,
I'm very intrigued with these cameras. One question for you, have you ever had an issue with video stabilization? I am on their website, and they only mention their top of the line camera featuring it. If I can get a solid quality image from the $100 camera, would be much more enticing than the $250 camera.
That's one issue I seem to keep having with Go Pro cameras (however I haven't used anything past a 5th gen) along with them crapping out on me after a few weekends.
Yeah.. I forgot about that happening. I have NO IDEA what happened or why. It was sprinkling a bit of rain, but I've used it in more serious rain without any issues. That's the only time it has happened in .. maybe 50 0r 60 videos. I took the memory card out and installed another, but have no real indication that it was related to the card. I even contacted the company and sent them a link to the video, but they could offer no reason either. Maybe it WAS some sort of issue with the card. I decided that, if it never happened again I wouldn't worry about it .. and it hasn't <knock on wood>.
Nope .. no smartphone app and no wifi. I almost always use the camera itself as the 'device' - i.e. I plug it directly into a usb port on my laptop and just watch the vids (and it's charging during that time)..and then delete the vids I don't want to save. I use a 16 GB card and at 720, it will last a complete Majors weekend and still have room left over. When I get home, I transfer the vid files to an external HD that I reserve just for Racing and delete the data from the card after I've verified that the HD files are good. I should mention here, that by default the camera breaks the vid into multiple files of about 2.5 to 3 GBytes. I think there is a setting that tells it to save everything in a single file, but the risk of having something happen and losing the whole thing is .. well,,, not zero. So, I have decided to leave it this way. I use RaceRender and it takes only a couple of minutes to 'staple' the vids together and unless I'm specifically watching for it, I never notice the transition from one file to the next. It also has the option of external audio input. I even bought the external mic - used it for a few vids and then FORGOT to connect it one time and realized that the internal mic was ALMOST as good as the external... after adding a bit of racer's tape to cover the mic, that killed 95% of the wind noise and the audio was every bit as good as the external mic.
Aiming the camera is a bit of a task, but I just put it in record for a couple of minutes and walk all around, look into the mirror(s) and then go and see what I have on my laptop. Sometimes I have to modify things a bit after watching on track vid, but it only needs to be done if the camera or mirrors are moved, so I pay close attention to those issues and DON'T move anything that doesn't have to be moved. Occasionally one of the mirrors gets bumped out of position, but I know from the driver's seat what it should look like and have been able to put them back where they need to be. From my driver's perspective .. it IS a bit of a compromise from what I might consider the IDEAL driver view in the mirrors, but I'm able to deal with it by repositioning the mirrors and seating position from 'ideal' to 'almost ideal' to get what *I* want in the mirrors and the video. IMHO having the mirror view as a part of the video adds A TON to the video itself - without having to have other cameras in play .. which would add to the complexity a LOT.
As said.. YMMV, but I've been VERY satisfied with it .. especially for the price.
Steve
Shane Viccary
#27 Citation-Zink Z-16
Shane,
My camera is up at my shop right now, but I don't recall seeing anything about stabilization in the manual or camera settings .. so it's either 'always on' or it doesn't need it. Of course I have a VERY SOLID mount to my roll bar brace. I've tried MANY different methods of mounting over the years, and NONE have been satisfactory unless solidly mounted to the FRAME somewhere.
I'm using the standard Ghost-X as in the Amazon link I posted above, but you'll probably need to fab a solid mount for it. None of the mounts provided (IIRC it came with 3 different methods. Back when I ordered my first one (YEARS ago) it came with a nice, small plastic bar clamp - no longer can find that now) with the unit give the stability I have with the bar mount. I guess the 'stick on' mount would be almost equal, but I don't trust stick ons to work through the heat of the summer. They ALL get gooey under heat .. even the so called 'industrial' versions. Maybe JB Weld would work though. Or you might be able to drill a couple holes through the stick on mount and put some screws in there to make it permanent - yeah, that would probably work.
This is my second one of these - the first one is still mounted on Bullet. (That's the one that had the 'burp' at Summit last year.)
Steve
Steve, FV80
Racing since '73 - FV since '77
Shane,
GoPro has improved. The refurbished Hero 5 Session I bought had really good quality but like you mentioned, didn't last. The videos I have posted online were Hero 5 Session at MidOhio and Hero 7 Black at the 50th at Road America. At RdAm, I had two camera with the Hero 7 facing forward on the March (Group 11) but facing back on the Swift (Group 13). The other camera used was a Replay, which I wish was still a current company. The Hero 8 stabalization is even better than the 7 from the video testing I saw.
Garey Guzman
FF #4 (Former Cal Club member, current Atlanta Region member)
https://redroadracing.com/ (includes Zink and Citation Registry)
https://www.thekentlives.com/ (includes information on the FF Kent engine, chassis and history)
Gary,
I don't disagree that the GoPro is still the benchmark for action cameras in the market. I have been a go pro user for 10 years, and to be honest I'm sick of paying "top dollar" and them crapping out. While the 7 and 8 are superior to the session 5 I had, they are still $300+ compared to the $100 for a reliable alternative.
Steve,
Thanks very much for the information. I found a place that has the Ghost 4k for $230 CAD with a LCD touchscreen (I figure that would help with alignment). At that price, I figure it's worth giving a go.
Shane Viccary
#27 Citation-Zink Z-16
I absolutely agree with you! When they first came out, I got one and it was awful. I sold it to a guy with a tintop at work and he was ok with it.
The alternatives I have used after that first GoPro had been much better. I can't remember the name of the one I first got but it was great, stable and best in class video at the time. Even had a remote that I tyrapped to the steering wheel! The Replay was very good until it started chopping my video's into tiny segments. Sent it back for repair under warranty before the company disappeared and I used it a couple times since without an issue.
I wasn't going to try GP again but my friend was using a Hero 5 Session on his CanAm car! I figured that if it would survive that, it should survive my FF. But my refurbished unit didn't last. I really liked the video I had gotten so I stubbornly tried the 7 Black with some online discount and the $100 credit for a returned camera. So far so good but if this one dies anytime soon, I'm out.
I looked at a lot of Action camera reviews too. They still rank the GP on top or close. We need more durability studies though!
Garey Guzman
FF #4 (Former Cal Club member, current Atlanta Region member)
https://redroadracing.com/ (includes Zink and Citation Registry)
https://www.thekentlives.com/ (includes information on the FF Kent engine, chassis and history)
I bought one last year, but really didn't get a chance to use it until 2020. I like the view, wearing glasses I was concerned that it would interfere with putting my glasses on but if anything actually kind of locks them in place. Still learning it, this last weekend it didn't record everything, so maybe I paused it but it did record the end of the session so not sure what's going on there. Then, being real careful to ensure it was recording, I tilted the angle all the way down and got a great view of the inside of my cockpit and essentially nothing else. That said, I view that as part of learning anything new and once I get the bugs ironed out it should be good.
What I like:
Excellent battery life, I start the recording prior to starting the car, so about 10-15 minutes before the race start, have not exhausted the battery in a race.
Video/audio quality are quite good.
Gives the best perspective of what it's really like out there.
Things that could be improved:
I start it before starting the car because I'm sure I won't feel the buzzing to indicate it's recording with the motor running. It would be nice if the recording lights were more visible, but then they might show up as a reflection inside the visor.
I also start it before putting my gloves on, not sure I'd feel the little button, or might inadvertently push the reset button while wearing gloves.
I felt the adhesive for the velcro wasn't sticking to my helmet liner well, went to a craft store and bought adhesive for velcro to cloth. I don't detach the camera from the velcro, I kind of think if I did it would gradually separate from the liner.
It breaks the recording up into slightly more than 2 GB segments, there is a slight lack of recording (probably <1 second) between these segments.
Can't easily reformat/initialize the card, I haven't checked to see if reset does this. Have to delete videos in your computer and I've had issues with digital cameras in the past doing this (due to different operating systems I think) where the card gets weird with use.
Date/time stamp is all wrong (might need the phone app to fix this).
Mini-SD card is a bit fiddly to get in and out (they all are).
Sometimes it isn't quite horizontal, due to the segmentation between the two "wings" and camera, since my head tilts a bit while cornering it's not a big deal, but would be nice if it were always "flat."
As I side note I also run a Replay on the roll bar. Very happy with that, but only after buying a used one. The first one I purchased directly from Replay had some issues and I should have pushed them to replace it. I use the kit to power it from the car and have the remote start switch. Run an external microphone and like it a lot. Only complaint is realigning it every time I remove it, and the mount seems to never hold the angle I want (I roll up a piece of tape behind it to force it into position).
It took me more than five years to realize I could use a silver Sharpie to supplement the alignment marks on the barrel of a Replay. Now it always goes right back to the same position.
Caldwell D9B - Sold
Crossle' 30/32/45 Mongrel - Sold
RF94 Monoshock - here goes nothin'
I will try that.
Not bad for $20
I found this cheap pair of sunglasses with HD video on Amazon and decided to give them a try - https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
They fit under my helmet OK but not great. A little pressure on my ears and bridge of my nose but not really a problem during test day. Filmed about 1hr 20min at 720/60FPS. Video came out pretty well I think. I wish the camera had a wider FOV to get my mirrors and gauges but in all its not bad. I used TrackAttack to auto synch to my Aim SOLO2 data which is pretty sweet too.
Video: https://youtu.be/f0I-eDyJThw
PS - only my 1st time driving after driver's school in February so please be kind ;-) !
Not bad!
Sent from my SM-G955W using Tapatalk
Cambox recently announced Mkv4 shipping end of June. Many continued improvements including image stabilization per their website. I held off buying earlier this year due to not racing so now I will just get the new one.
https://store.camboxmeca.com/en/cont...ambox-mkv4-pro
Bringing this back, as I have a Cambox MKV3 that when it works - works great. But it seems to be having battery issues.
First - it does not seem to get to full charge - even after 24 hours.
Second - I was charging it every session, but it still seems to be dying mid race....
Is anyone still using it and what can they report.
Has anyone had the battery serviced?
How is the MKV4 doing?
We were told at Palmer that a rules change to mandate cameras at REGIONALS is in the works.
Anyone else confirm?
Thanks
ChrisZ
PS - so far no response from customer service (email). I will try calling next week.
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